PITCHING
Appointments are only available to those who have registered for the conference. Once registered, you will be sent a link to access the appointment schedule to book your appointments. There is no virtual pitch takers this year, all pitches will be in person in Darwin.
Spots are first-come-first-serve basis, and you are limited to a maximum of 3 appointments.
Please click on the pitch takers photo to view 'what they are looking for'.
INTERNATIONAL AGENT
SARAH YOUNGER
Sarah Younger is an Executive Agent at the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she began her publishing career at Press53 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she helped launch the company’s digital publishing program. She went on to earn a graduate certificate from the University of Denver’s Publishing Institute before relocating to New York City. Since joining NYLA in 2011, Sarah has built a dynamic and diverse list of authors, with a focus on bestselling adult commercial fiction. She became a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) in 2014.
What is the minimum word-count you agency takes, or your publishing house requires?
Single Title Only (80k and upwards)
Category Length (45k-55k)
Is there a genre or sub-genre you're particularly keen to see?
I enjoy all varieties of romance, romantic comedy, women's fiction, and book club fiction
What genre is your personal favourite?
I love contemporary, historical, fantasy, and sci-fi (all with romance). I wish I could pick!
What sub-genres are your NOT looking for?
Please no Horror, YA. Children's, Middle Grade, Poetry or Picture Books.
What is your major turn-off in a book?
When it doesn't have a satisfactory resolution. (HEA in romance, or a completed hero's journey in others.)
What is likely to really knock your socks off besides an engaging voice and well-written book?
Unique settings, or a story that teaches me something or exposes me to something new (that can be a profession, a setting, or a way of thinking). Something that'll have me mentioning at dinner the next time I meet up with friends for a good gab session.
Any advice to potential pitchers?
I'm excited to meet you and help you on your publishing journey. Even if we're not a perfect fit, I'm here to help - and I want to help.
Anthea Bariamis
Simon & Schuster
CHLOE BERRY
Chloe is a dynamic and passionate publishing professional with years of experience in the industry under her belt already. She found her start as a marketing coordinator at HarperCollins Australia. An avid reader and active member of the bookish social media community, Chloe is deeply committed to supporting authors at every stage of their journey.
She’s also one of the creative forces behind the highly successful @booktokbookclub on Instagram, a collaborative space where she and her Australian bookish friends share their love for reading. Chloe’s dedication to fostering connections within the literary world drives her passion for helping authors grow their platforms and reach their readers. As a new agent, Chloe is always looking at ways to shake up the industry and pioneer a new age of agenting.
What is the minimum word-count you agency takes, or your publishing house requires?
60k
Is there a genre or sub-genre you're particularly keen to see?
Dark rom-com, paranormal rom-com
What genre is your personal favourite?
Dark rom-com
What sub-genres are your NOT looking for?
RH, Why choose
What is your major turn-off in a book?
Non-consistent, misogynistic ideals and MMC's
What is likely to really knock your socks off besides an engaging voice and well-written book?
If it can really make me laugh out loud.
Any advice to potential pitchers?
I love to ask pitchers about their upcoming or current WIPS not just the project they're pitching me. Being an agent is to rep an author not just one project.
CAITLAN COOPER-TRENT
Caitlan started her career at Sydney University Press and moved to Curtis Brown in 2016, where she has been lucky enough to work with authors such as Hannah Kent and Zoe Foster Blake. Now, Caitlan represents authors who have won the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the Steele Rudd Award, and the Josephine Ulrick National Poetry Prize, and have been shortlisted for the Blake Poetry Prize and the Glenda Adams Prize for New Writing. Her clients have been in the Australian Top 10 for Non-Fiction, have been recognized as Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists and have won the ABC Short Story Prize.
Caitlan is drawn to literary and upmarket fiction that appeals to the intellect and the heart. She has a soft spot on occasion to grounded thriller and horror. She enjoys a wide array of non-fiction that explores what it is to be in the world today - often about the stories we tell ourselves.S
What is the minimum word-count you agency takes, or your publishing house requires?
Single Title Only (80k and upwards)
Is there a genre or sub-genre you're particularly keen to see?
Romantasy, dark romance, rom-com, reimaginings of classic texts
What genre is your personal favourite?
Reimagining of classic texts
What sub-genres are your NOT looking for?
Historical romance
What is your major turn-off in a book?
Dialogue that feels untrue to life
What is likely to really knock your socks off besides an engaging voice and well-written book?
A clear, fresh angle
Any advice to potential pitchers?
Be yourself!
ALINA HAGER
Caitlan started her career at Sydney University Press and moved to Curtis Brown in 2016, where she has been lucky enough to work with authors such as Hannah Kent and Zoe Foster Blake. Now, Caitlan represents authors who have won the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the Steele Rudd Award, and the Josephine Ulrick National Poetry Prize, and have been shortlisted for the Blake Poetry Prize and the Glenda Adams Prize for New Writing. Her clients have been in the Australian Top 10 for Non-Fiction, have been recognized as Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists and have won the ABC Short Story Prize.
Caitlan is drawn to literary and upmarket fiction that appeals to the intellect and the heart. She has a soft spot on occasion to grounded thriller and horror. She enjoys a wide array of non-fiction that explores what it is to be in the world today - often about the stories we tell ourselves.S
What is the minimum word-count you agency takes, or your publishing house requires?
Single Title Only (80k and upwards)
Is there a genre or sub-genre you're particularly keen to see?
I'm interested in all Romance and Romance sub-genres, especially Dark Romance and Romantic Surprise.
What genre is your personal favourite?
Personally I love Romantic Suspense and Romantasy! I adore stories with high-stakes plot, twists and true love.
What sub-genres are your NOT looking for?
I'm less drawn to billionaire romances at the moment.
What is your major turn-off in a book?
Cardboard characters and romance that feels forced rather than earned.
What is likely to really knock your socks off besides an engaging voice and well-written book?
Unexpected twists that feel inevitable in hindsight, and emotional resonance that makes me smile, swoon or cry.
Any advice to potential pitchers?
Believe in your story, and the power of your own unique voice! Show me why I should be excited, and why I would fall in love with your characters and want to live in the world they you've created.
SOPHIE HAMLEY
Sophie Hamley is a former literary agent, bookseller and content producer who has worked at Hachette Australia since 2014, publishing non-fiction and, more recently, romance fiction. She has published the London Hearts trilogy by BookTok sensation Tierney Page and has other exciting romance titles slated for release in 2026.
What is the minimum word-count you agency takes, or your publishing house requires?
Single Title Only (80k and upwards)
Is there a genre or sub-genre you're particularly keen to see?
Dark romance
What genre is your personal favourite?
Rural romance (but currently reading and loving some monster romance!)
What sub-genres are your NOT looking for?
Horror
What is your major turn-off in a book?
When the writer is more interested in showing what they can do than they are in telling a story.
What is likely to really knock your socks off besides an engaging voice and well-written book?
It is impossible to define the X factor that great books have, but it always comes from a place of the writer getting out of their own way and letting the story come through them.
Any advice to potential pitchers?
Please feel free to read your pitch. I do have more advice than that - as I teach pitching to various writing groups - but I'll leave it at that for now.
ALI WATTS
Ali Watts is a publisher from Penguin Random House Australia. In a career spanning more than thirty years, she has produced a vast number of fiction and non-fiction titles across all genres with some of the world’s most beloved and successful writers. She has a particular passion for commercial fiction. Her extensive list of award-winning and bestselling authors includes Monica McInerney, Fiona McIntosh, Rachael Johns, Tess Woods, Fiona McArthur, Amanda Hampson, Meg Bignell, Katherine Scholes, Kyle Perry and Anthea Hodgson.
What is the minimum word-count you agency takes, or your publishing house requires?
Single Title Only (80k and upwards)
Is there a genre or sub-genre you're particularly keen to see?
Tear-jerker
What genre is your personal favourite?
Contemporary family drama, especially if it makes me cry
What sub-genres are your NOT looking for?
Sci-fi
What is your major turn-off in a book?
Not enough story power
What is likely to really knock your socks off besides an engaging voice and well-written book?
A dynamic author who has good knowledge of their chosen genre
Any advice to potential pitchers?
I'd prefer if you didn't simply read your synopsis to me - just come say hi!
MORE PITCH TAKERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
Annette will be taking pitches on Saturday only, her bookings will be open shortly.
Annette Barlow
Allen & Unwin